Hyperion

kmurphy4000 wrote:Is it as loud as a full-size upright vacuum?
Will it bother my apartment neighbors if I set it to run daily?

I bought one of these about 4 weeks ago the last time they were up on Woot.

In my opinion it's nowhere near as loud as a regular upright, but it's certainly not quiet. You can't watch TV in the room for sure, but when I'm upstairs (the Neato really just does downstairs) I can tell its on but it's not bothersome in the slightest -- and that's with an open stairway to downstairs that obviously your neighbors wouldn't have.

Now... for my general opinion...

At first I was disapointed with the Neato. It had a hard time finding its way back to its dock, it would get stuck frequently, and would rarely do a cleaning cycle without me having to help it in some way or another.

BUT. Once you figure out what it 'likes', it does an amazing job.

1> Keep the dock a good 2-3 feet away from anything else. It isn't the most attractive thing in the world, and it would be nice if you could tuck it beside a cabinet or something, but the Neato greatly prefers more room around its dock in order to find its way back.

2> Keep your floor free of clutter. This was the hard one. But the Neato really forces you to keep your floors clean of wires, dog toys, any of that little stuff. It's actually a really nice benefit of forcing a little more cleanliness on you -- just takes some getting used to.

3> Use that barrier tape they provide. The Neato kept getting stuck navigating around my couch. From just the right angle it could get under the sofa and get itself stuck. Roll out that tape (you can keep it just under the edge of the sofa, so you can't even see it) and it'll stay out of areas you don't want it just perfectly.

After about 10 days of figuring out what it likes and doesn't, the Neato can now clean my entire downstairs without issue the vast majority of the time. Every once in a while it'll get itself stuck somewhere and need help, but that's a small price to pay for floors that are constantly clean.

My only complaint is just how long it takes to clean. My downstairs (of which I have the Neato clean about 1500sqft) takes it 3-4 cleaning cycles which takes about 6 hours for it to do. That's surprising considering about 2/3rds of that space is hardwood which shouldn't take much power. My problem seems to center on just how large my rooms are -- all that space is really just 4 rooms, and 2 of them are a solid 85% of that 1500sqft, including a "Great Room" that's about 40x26, and a Master Bedroom that's 28x20. When the room is that large, the Neato brings them up into pieces. And it seems to do so in a manner that's not the most logical. The Hallway for example, rather than go back and forth the long way and knock it out in about 5 passes, it instead goes back and forth the shortway, having to turn several dozen times in the process. It does this odd behavior for every 'virtual' room that its created. But it gets it all done -- so if it wants to take its own time to do it the long way, that's its problem, not mine.

But, it does a really good job of cleaning, does it every day, and the house is always looking nice. And coming home to the perfect little vaccuum rows in the carpet is a nice feeling.

Does it clean as well at the Dyson Animal I've got -- no. of course not. But it's also cleaning every single day before the stuff is getting hammered into the carpets. With 2 cats and a dog, the Neato can fill up its entire bin in a day. If I use the Dyson once a month (and honestly, I wouldn't even do that much) it's sure as heck not getting 30 times as much in its bin, so it's leaving quite a bin that's really been worked into the carpets over that much. So, in a round-about way, the Neato is actually doing a BETTER job than the Dyson does.

EDIT: And for those worried about transitions -- I've got transitions from Hardwood to Tile and Hardwood to Carpet, that are nearly a full INCH in height. And the Neato has not once balked at them. It can pop itself up a fair bit on its wheels, and it's smart enough to take them at an angle.

dcigary

Again I can't vouch enough for these units! Great design, very smart and does a really good job of cleaning our floors! We don't have the pet & allergy model, but I'm sure that's just a stronger brush and better filter. It also has the ability to lull our entire family to sleep - the noise is there, but not annoying - just a constant humming. Well worth the money!! Tip: You can buy third party replacement filters off Amazon for much cheaper than the OEM filters.

dipswitch

Okay, this is it. I'm taking the plunge. I told my daughter next time one of these come up for sale I'm buying. I have a golden that constantly sheds and I have to sweep the floors everyday and I'm tired of it. I don't care if it doesn't get the baseboard area and around table/chair legs. I can take care of that mess myself.

CuzzinMerl

I have mixed feelings about mine. First of all, it does a great job on both hardwood and carpets and always finds its way back to the charger. But my dog hates it! Also, after owning it for only a week, I think there is something wrong with it. I came home from work and it was making a weird "yipping" sound. And I can't find my chihuahua.

avivra

I've been trying to buy this one for the past several hours with no luck.
I keep getting the following error:
---------------------------
Denied
What's going on here?
Your payment authorization was denied. Please try your order again later.
----------------------------

I tried to use my credit card and my paypal account, and I got the same error on both of them, over and over again.

gaf545

I, too, debated buying the robot for several Woot! cycles. Finally took the plunge last offer. Got it in good time but it wouldn't charge. Neato replaced it quickly & also sent a prepaid return shipping label for the bad one. Have used it every day since. It works great. Couldn't be happier. We have 2 German Shedders & do empty the dust bin twice a day. It's also fairly entertaining to watch, although that might fade as the newness wears off. My only wish would be that it didn't need 2-3ft of clear space in order to locate the charging station. It would be great to tuck it away under something to hide it. Although maybe I could just look at it as a 'status symbol' & leave it out in full view.

inkycatz

avivra wrote:I've been trying to buy this one for the past several hours with no luck.
I keep getting the following error:
---------------------------
Denied
What's going on here?
Your payment authorization was denied. Please try your order again later.
----------------------------

I tried to use my credit card and my paypal account, and I got the same error on both of them, over and over again.

There is also no response from service@woot.com until now.

Please help!

Well, having no access to the account or your payment information I can't really tell you, but you may want to also contact your credit card provider and/or bank to make sure things are in order there, too while you wait for service@woot.com to reply! We'll let them know to be on the lookout for your issue.

Hyperion

gaf545 wrote:I, too, debated buying the robot for several Woot! cycles. Finally took the plunge last offer. Got it in good time but it wouldn't charge. Neato replaced it quickly & also sent a prepaid return shipping label for the bad one. Have used it every day since. It works great. Couldn't be happier. We have 2 German Shedders & do empty the dust bin twice a day. It's also fairly entertaining to watch, although that might fade as the newness wears off. My only wish would be that it didn't need 2-3ft of clear space in order to locate the charging station. It would be great to tuck it away under something to hide it. Although maybe I could just look at it as a 'status symbol' & leave it out in full view.

I haven't tried it, but you MAY be able to put it UNDER something. As long as that something is long -- like a buffet table along the wall or something.

I don't think height around it would be an issue, and actually you're supposed to have it out of direct sunlight (apparently bright lights hinder Neato's fine driving abilities or some-such). So if you had something long to park it under, it might work rather well. You'd just have to remember to empty its bin before it docked itself which might be a little inconvenient.

satinworship

I have a question for the cat owners out there, can this thing pick up kitty litter on hardwood or tile?
Also, if it comes across an object just laying in the middle of the floor, like a dog toy, will it just work around it?

renatus

satinworship wrote:I have a question for the cat owners out there, can this thing pick up kitty litter on hardwood or tile?
Also, if it comes across an object just laying in the middle of the floor, like a dog toy, will it just work around it?

It will pick up kitty litter, and toys? if it's light enough it will probably push it around until it's somewhere it can't reach it anymore. If you leave string toys around it'll probably suck it up or eventually get caught, but generally speaking it's not a problem. I have the regular neato version and one hairy cat. I'm very busy and this thing is fantastic; night and day vs. a roomba. if you can 'prep' your floors right (less small clutter/not a total slob) than it's a no brainer and leaves you only needing a real solid vacuuming every month or even longer if you don't have messy pets. I liked the idea of the roomba but it was just an expensive toy, this thing actually cleans stuff without a bunch of maintenance. Isn't that what Robots are supposed to do?

ablickle

gaf545 wrote: My only wish would be that it didn't need 2-3ft of clear space in order to locate the charging station. It would be great to tuck it away under something to hide it. Although maybe I could just look at it as a 'status symbol' & leave it out in full view.

Ours lives under a nightstand. It has about 2 or 3 inches clearance from the legs on each side, but it backs in there perfectly. Not what the manual says, but worth a try...

avivra

inkycatz wrote:Well, having no access to the account or your payment information I can't really tell you, but you may want to also contact your credit card provider and/or bank to make sure things are in order there, too while you wait for service@woot.com to reply! We'll let them know to be on the lookout for your issue.

Nothing wrong with my credit card or paypal account. I've been using them today on other websites with no problem.

An hour later, and still no response from service@woot.com.
Are you guys waiting for this deal to end?

inkycatz

avivra wrote:Nothing wrong with my credit card or paypal account. I've been using them today on other websites with no problem.

An hour later, and still no response from service@woot.com.
Are you guys waiting for this deal to end?

Please help!

I haven't heard back about this issue yet (it was reported due to another person also having issues, proving it wasn't an isolated incident). I'm sorry service@woot.com hasn't replied yet, but do keep in mind they tend to reply to issues in the order they're received.

ginnylavender

I have one I bought on Amazon, and it's something I like a lot, even though No, it doesn't get corners and No it doesn't get along walls very well and No it doesn't move furniture. And yes, the filters are about $20 and have to be replaced approximately every 2-3 months if you run it every day. In spite of all that I would hate to do without it as I have a lot of fuzzy long haired dogs. It's great for pet hair. Also it's cute and I love to watch it return to base after it's finished. Do shut it off and turn it over every now and then, because hair, string etc can get caught around the wheels and in the brushes. If it starts running around in tight circles, check to see if something is caught there. And put clutter out of the way. It's some trouble to do, but it makes the cleaning a whole lot shorter when it doesn't have to go around and around objects.

venussuz

I'm debating on getting this either today or next time it's offered and was hoping those who have Neatos could answer a few questions.

1) I'm considering the pet/allergy version as opposed to the one I can get at Costco for same price because I have long, thick hair that gets all over the place (no pets - I shed enough hair on my own). Will this do a better job with my constantly "shedding" hair than the xv-14? And does it rally help with allergies more than the xv-14 would?

2) The area it will be cleaning is about 1500 sg/ft. This includes a large great room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and walk in closet. The only areas not carpeted - a plush 1" carpet - are the kitchen and bathroom, which have linoleum floors. I'm hoping this won't take the 6 hours mentioned above as I work from home, and the only area I can close off and work in is the bedroom. The rest of the area is open space, except the bathroom. I'm hoping that will help?

3) When I moved 6 months ago I threw out my 6 or 7 year old roomba, as I'd stopped using because I needed to clean the hair out of the brush thing every time using a knife - nothing else would get the hair out! Are the Neatos really that much easier to maintain? I expect to empty the dustbin several times per cycle, but that's WAY less trouble than the roomba.

brainleak

venussuz wrote:I'm debating on getting this either today or next time it's offered and was hoping those who have Neatos could answer a few questions.

1) I'm considering the pet/allergy version as opposed to the one I can get at Costco for same price because I have long, thick hair that gets all over the place (no pets - I shed enough hair on my own). Will this do a better job with my constantly "shedding" hair than the xv-14? And does it rally help with allergies more than the xv-14 would?

2) The area it will be cleaning is about 1500 sg/ft. This includes a large great room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and walk in closet. The only areas not carpeted - a plush 1" carpet - are the kitchen and bathroom, which have linoleum floors. I'm hoping this won't take the 6 hours mentioned above as I work from home, and the only area I can close off and work in is the bedroom. The rest of the area is open space, except the bathroom. I'm hoping that will help?

3) When I moved 6 months ago I threw out my 6 or 7 year old roomba, as I'd stopped using because I needed to clean the hair out of the brush thing every time using a knife - nothing else would get the hair out! Are the Neatos really that much easier to maintain? I expect to empty the dustbin several times per cycle, but that's WAY less trouble than the roomba.

Any help is much appreciated!

I think I have a vx-12. It is exactly the same machine with a different brush and a reusable filter. Thats being said. I think I picked mine up on woot during a sale for 230. The new brush and filter can be picked up for 60 bucks via amazon. The machine is great. I have a long hair and a short hair. The shedding can be bad. This machine works wonders. I still have the stock brush and use the old filters (once they run out I'll get the pet ones.) if you can find a vx-12 cheap, do it and buy the pet pack from amazon.

brainleak

brainleak wrote:I think I have a vx-12. It is exactly the same machine with a different brush and a reusable filter. Thats being said. I think I picked mine up on woot during a sale for 230. The new brush and filter can be picked up for 60 bucks via amazon. The machine is great. I have a long hair and a short hair. The shedding can be bad. This machine works wonders. I still have the stock brush and use the old filters (once they run out I'll get the pet ones.) if you can find a vx-12 cheap, do it and buy the pet pack from amazon.

OH, and I do not have to clean the brush a lot at all. I find sometimes I have to pick up some hair left behind by the vacuum but with the pet brush you would not have to do this.

molex

Just to clarify something about Neato models... they're all the same unit. XV-11, XV-12, XV-14 etc. it's all the same robot, the only difference is the accessories (brushes and filters) and sometimes the paint job.

So when you buy a different model all you're actually getting is different accessories.

sterry7738

justmeinflorida

venussuz wrote:I'm debating on getting this either today or next time it's offered and was hoping those who have Neatos could answer a few questions.

1) I'm considering the pet/allergy version as opposed to the one I can get at Costco for same price because I have long, thick hair that gets all over the place (no pets - I shed enough hair on my own). Will this do a better job with my constantly "shedding" hair than the xv-14? And does it rally help with allergies more than the xv-14 would?

2) The area it will be cleaning is about 1500 sg/ft. This includes a large great room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and walk in closet. The only areas not carpeted - a plush 1" carpet - are the kitchen and bathroom, which have linoleum floors. I'm hoping this won't take the 6 hours mentioned above as I work from home, and the only area I can close off and work in is the bedroom. The rest of the area is open space, except the bathroom. I'm hoping that will help?

3) When I moved 6 months ago I threw out my 6 or 7 year old roomba, as I'd stopped using because I needed to clean the hair out of the brush thing every time using a knife - nothing else would get the hair out! Are the Neatos really that much easier to maintain? I expect to empty the dustbin several times per cycle, but that's WAY less trouble than the roomba.

Any help is much appreciated!

From what I've been reading, you'll be better off getting the XV-11 or XV-12. They both have beaters instead of brushes eliminating the problem of having to clean out the tangled hair.

molex

sterry7738 wrote:I have both wood and carpet flooring. Will it transition between both types ok?

No problem at all. Neato moves from wood to carpet with ease, and also moves right over things like sliding glass door tracks no problem. In fact, be sure to keep the sliders for your closet closed (if you have that kind of thing) or Neato will go in there and suck up your socks.

molex

venussuz wrote:I'm debating on getting this either today or next time it's offered and was hoping those who have Neatos could answer a few questions.

1) I'm considering the pet/allergy version as opposed to the one I can get at Costco for same price because I have long, thick hair that gets all over the place (no pets - I shed enough hair on my own). Will this do a better job with my constantly "shedding" hair than the xv-14? And does it rally help with allergies more than the xv-14 would?

2) The area it will be cleaning is about 1500 sg/ft. This includes a large great room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and walk in closet. The only areas not carpeted - a plush 1" carpet - are the kitchen and bathroom, which have linoleum floors. I'm hoping this won't take the 6 hours mentioned above as I work from home, and the only area I can close off and work in is the bedroom. The rest of the area is open space, except the bathroom. I'm hoping that will help?

3) When I moved 6 months ago I threw out my 6 or 7 year old roomba, as I'd stopped using because I needed to clean the hair out of the brush thing every time using a knife - nothing else would get the hair out! Are the Neatos really that much easier to maintain? I expect to empty the dustbin several times per cycle, but that's WAY less trouble than the roomba.

Any help is much appreciated!

If you want to get hair up this will do it. Keep in mind you can also get an XV-12 (or any other model Neato) and buy the "Pet and allergy kit" on amazon and you will have the exact same thing. Keep in mind you will have to clean the brush on this pet model a lot more often than the paddles that come with the normal Neatos, but that's because it's picking up the hair you want picked up.

It's going to take several hours to clean your house. My house is 1200 sq feet, and Neato spends about 3 hours cleaning every day. With the brush in it it's pretty unobtrusive though.

If you get this model, with the brush instead of the paddles, it will require maintenance to clean out hair etc. But if you get an XV-12 or something similar, with the paddles, it will require a lot less maintenance. But that's because it will get a lot less hair, also. You can't have it both ways, either it gets the hair or it doesn't.

whatsamattaU

dbuggr wrote:This was never sold at $599.99, the list price since before it came out has always been $429.99. What's with the overstatement of the list price, Woot? All this does is detract from your credibility.

Honestly, what would be worse to their credibility is to guess a "typical" price. All one has to do for that is try looking up prices for a woot item to realize how variable the pricing is. The argument of whether to put a "list price" up (like a car, for example) has been debated intermittently ever since the topic came up.

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